Lock-grip grasping-tongs.



' PATBNTED 00152, 1906.l

P. I. HINDS. LOCK GRIP GRASPING TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 22, 1905..

IL E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. .y

FRANKLIN P. IIINDS, OF BOSTON, MASSAOHHSETTS, ASSIGNOR 'ro GUSTAVUS A. TowLn, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

LOCK-GRIP GRASPING-TONGS.

My inventlon relates to a household implement for grasping and holding light articles, hot or-cold, and has for its object to furnish a cheap, convenient, and practicalgrasping utensil or tongs provided with a locking device by which the arms of the tongs may be locked together upon an article when desired.

I attain the object stated by means of the-v interlocking spring-tongs illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a lan of a blank formed as shown of suitab e sheet metal, preferably steel, and adapted to be folded into shape for its practical use. Fig. 2 is a perspective of` the same folded into shape for practical use and shown as closed u on a sponge or cloth and secured with its ook-grip thereon and also illustrating the method of holding the same in the hand of the user. Fig. 3 is a ,pers ective showing the tongs released from the ocking-plate. and sprung open and also illustrating its osition in the hand when thus released. i 4 is a sectional view of the spring end of t e tongs and Showing the notched guide and locking-plate riveted in the upper arm of the tongs .and passing through a slot in the lower arm with which it interlocks. i

My invention is embodied in the lock-grip tongs thus show'nand illustrated in said drawin s and is preferablyA constructed of light s eet-steel formed substantially as shown, havin two arms 5 and '6, connected by an integra spring curve 7, which'are concaved and provided with teeth 8 and 9, formed on the edges of'the grasping ends thereof, so that the two opposing sets of teeth are interposed when the 'arms are closed together, as shown in Fig. 2 and indicated by dotted Alines in Fig. 1, and have some relative freedom of endwise movement. A lock-plate 10, having a notch 11 in the ed e thereof, is riveted through arm 5 at 13, an its free end projects through a slot 12 in arm 6 when the arms are closed to- Specication of Letters Patent. Application aaa December 22.1905. familia. 292.913,

Patented oct. 2, 190e.

gether, as shown in Fig. 2, to grasp a cloth or sponge or any other similar article. When t us fully closed together' to grasp with the dusting or` cleaning a 1amp-chimney-0 r any other use,`then the grasp required and exerted is mechanical and not merely de end- 'ent on the grip of the hand. The act o thus and the sprin curve 7, cause t e notch 11 to interlock -wit thus firmly hold the article so gripped between the teeth without -re ard to manual pressure upon the arms for c osin the same, which may then be relaxed an dispensed with. To release the lock-plate 10 from slot 12, the tool is held with curve 7 against the ball of the thumb, as illustrated 1n Fi s.2

a trigger .by the nger of the hand bearing upon the same, and thus pressing the curve ward endwise sufficiently to release the end of slot`12 from notch 11 and to allow4 the elastic curve 7. The loc -plate 10 not only f serves to Secure the arms together as and for the purposes described, but urther serves as each other directly without latera deviation, ,thus securing coincident contact'of the grlpping ends of the same and avoiding torthe hold upon an article picked up by them. When thus closed together, the teethV u on. one arm are interposed between the teet of the Op osite arm, bein formed and spaced so to so and with s cient separation to of the arms to engage them with and diseng'age them from the notch 11 in the lockplate 10.

the hot Water, or vegetables--the lookin device is not required, and the armsfin suc cases do not ap roach each other near enough for the loc -plate to act, and it does not interfere with the manual uses of the implement, but thenv serves only as a guide to prevent torsion and deviation from a direct 8JP "be ore described.

teeth a dish-cloth, for instance, or a cloth for` and 3', and the projecting plate is pulle likel 7 against thehand and springing arm 6 forarms to automatically expand by force of the a guide to cause the two arms to approach vsional action and consequent weakening of permit of the necessary endwise 'movement When the tool 'is used manually to pick objects- .as, for instance, boiling eggs 'out of closing the arms u on the object grasped will, by reason of t e 'elasticit of the armsV the end of the slot 12, vand l IOO proach of the arms toward each other, as

The simplegras ing of any object, as is obvious, is caused by manual pressure upon the arms of the tongs, and when such pres-y sure is .relaxed the arms are self-expanding v 5 and in all cases except when held by the me- ,74/ chanical lock-plate, which must then be released, as before stated.

I claimx vThe described grasping-tongs, consistin 1o of light metallic arms 5 and 6, concaved, an

havlng toothed orasping ends 8 and 9, and being connectedxby an integral sprn curve 7, and provided with a guiding lock-p ate 10,

havin a notch 11, in one edge thereof; said plate eing attached to one arm, as at 5, and 15 extended therefrom througha .slot in they other arm, asat 12 and thegrasping ends of the arms being self-expanding by means of sprin -"curve7, and capable of being'locked toget er by the same. spring acting in conzo junction with the notched lock-plate; all asand for the purposes s eciiied.

FRAKLIN P. HINDS. Witnesses:

G. A.TowLE, EUGENE HUMPHREY. 

